Australia Council Awards recipients announced for 2018

The Australia Council is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the prestigious Australia Council awards, which recognise and celebrate the significant contributions of leading artists to the artistic and cultural vibrancy of the nation.

Nominated by industry peers, the eight recipients of the national awards demonstrate an extraordinary range of outstanding and sustained achievement across music, literature, community arts and cultural development, emerging and experimental arts, visual arts, theatre, and dance. They join an impressive and diverse group of individuals who have received these awards in previous years.

The recipients will be honoured during a special ceremony at Carriageworks, Sydney on Tuesday. Australia Council CEO Tony Grybowski said it was an opportunity to reflect on the important role artists play in capturing the nation’s imagination.

“These national awards are a critical way for the Australia Council to recognise the remarkable achievements of individual Australian artists, as well as highlighting the broader contribution of all our artists to enhancing the lives of Australians. The recipients of the 2018 awards are leaders in their respective fields. They have individually and collectively made highly significant contributions to the development of artistic practice and to challenging existing ways of exploring how we express identity and how we connect with one another. Almost all Australians engage with the arts multiple times on a daily basis. The Arts play a central role in wellbeing, in building more creative and cohesive communities, and are a complex and layered reflection of our nation. With that in mind it is essential that we celebrate and support the rich and diverse artistic talent we are fortunate to have,” he said.